Full Fix: Google Drive says you are not signed in

Is your Google Drive app’s system tray icon greyed out with no option to sign in? If you can’t sign in with your Google Drive app, there are a few potential fixes. These are some probable fixes to try out in various Windows platforms if you can’t sign in with the Google Drive client software.

How to fix You are not signed in message in Google Drive?

Many users use Google Drive to store their data online, however, sometimes issues with Google Drive can occur and prevent you from signing in. Speaking of Google Drive problems, here are some of the most common issues that users reported:

Google Drive you are not signed in Internet Explorer, Chrome – According to users, this issue can appear in almost any browser. If that’s the case, try disabling your proxy and check if that helps. In addition, you can try switching to a different browser and check if that helps.

Google Drive not signed in Windows 7 – This problem can appear in older versions of Windows, and Windows 7 and 8 aren’t exceptions. Even if you don’t use Windows 10, you should be able to apply most of our solutions to your system.

Google Drive you are not signed in during upload – According to users, sometimes you might encounter this issue while trying to upload your files. To fix the problem, be sure to check your Internet options and change them if needed.

Google Drive not syncing Windows 10 – If you have any syncing issues with Google Drive, we advise you to check our Google Drive won’t sync article for more solutions.

Solution 1 – Update the Google Drive Client Software

First, consider reinstalling Google Drive to ensure its the most update version. You can uninstall the Google Drive client much the same as most Windows software via Programs and Features.

Change the title of your Google Drive folder by right-clicking it in File Explorer and selecting Rename. Then open this page and click Download Drive > PC. Restart Windows when you’ve re-installed Google Drive.

Solution 2 – Switch off the Windows Firewall

The Windows Firewall might be blocking the Google Drive app. So switch off the Windows Firewall to see if that makes a difference. You can switch off the firewall as follows.

Click the Cortana button on Windows 10 taskbar and enter ‘Windows Firewall’ into its search box. Then you can select to open the Windows Firewall window shown in the shot below.

There you should select the Turn Windows Firewall on or off link.

Then you can select a Turn off Windows Firewall option and click OK.

After doing that, check if the problem is resolved.

Alternatively, you can select an Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall option without switching the firewall off. That will open the window in the snapshot below that includes a list of apps.

Now scroll down to Google Drive to check if it’s selected there. If it’s check boxes aren’t selected, the Windows Firewall is blocking it.

To permit the app through the firewall, press the Change Settings button and click Google Drive‘s check boxes. Then press OK to close the window.

Solution 3 – Re-establish the Google Drive Path

Re-establishing the Google Drive path might enable you to sign in with your GD app again. To do so, first close the Google Drive app from the taskbar system tray.

Open File Explorer and enter ‘C:UsersUSERNAMEAppDataLocalGoogle‘ into the folder path box. Replace USERNAME in the folder path with your actual PC username.

Now right-click the Drive folder and select Delete to erase it.

Solution 4 – Adjust the Region Settings in Windows

If your Windows Region settings are anything other than English (United States), consider switching them to the English U.S. format. You can do that by selecting Region on the Control Panel to open the window below.

You can select English (United States) from the Format drop-down menu.

Press the Apply and OK buttons at the bottom of the window.

Then you should log out and back into Windows.

Solution 5 – Check the User Directory Google Drive Folder Permissions

Also, check your Google Drive folder permissions. The Windows account you’re using with Google Drive should give you full control for that folder. This is how you can check the GD folder permissions.

First, you should right-click your Google Drive folder in File Explorer and select Properties from the context menu.

Click the Security tab on the Properties window to open the options below.

There select your user account and then check the folder permissions listed on the window. If some of the permissions listed there are denied, press the Edit button.

Now click all the Allow check boxes to grant the folder all permissions.

Press Apply and OK to confirm the new folder settings.

Solution 6 – Try accessing Google Drive with a different browser

If you’re getting You are not signed in message while trying to access Google Drive with your browser, you might want to consider switching to a different browser. Several users reported this issue while trying to access Google Drive with Internet Explorer.

Internet Explorer is an old and somewhat outdated browser, and many websites won’t work properly with it. To fix this problem, try accessing Google Drive with Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome and check if the problem still persists.

Solution 7 – Remove Google from Trusted sites

According to users, sometimes issues with Google Drive can appear due to your Internet settings. If you’re getting You are not signed in message while trying to access Google Drive, the problem might be your Trusted sites list.

To fix this problem, you need to remove Google from Trusted sites section. This is relatively simple, and you can do it by following these steps:

Navigate to Security tab and select Trusted sites. Now click the Sites button.

Now you should see all websites that are on your list of trusted websites. Select Google and click the Remove button.

Once you remove Google from the list of trusted websites, save changes and close Internet Options window.

After making these changes Google Drive should start working again. Keep in mind that Trusted sites list is empty by default, and if you didn’t add Google to it manually, you can probably skip this solution.

Solution 8 – Check your proxy settings

In order to protect their privacy online, many users use proxy to hide their identity. Although proxy can be quite useful, sometimes it can interfere with Google Drive and cause You are not signed in message to appear.

To fix this problem, it’s advised to check your proxy settings and disable them. To do that, you just need to follow these simple steps:

Press Windows Key + I to open the Settings app. Once the Settings app opens, navigate to Network & Internet section.

Select Proxy from the menu on the left. In the right pane, disable all options.

After doing that, your proxy should be completely disabled and the issue should be resolved. As you can see, proxy is a simple way to protect your privacy online, but it can lead to certain issues. If you want to protect your privacy online, we suggest you use a VPN instead. There are many great VPN tools available, but the best is CyberGhost VPN.

Solution 9 – Check your antivirus

According to users, in some cases, you won’t be able to sign in to Google Drive due to your antivirus. Sometimes your antivirus settings can interfere with Google Drive, and in order to fix this issue, it’s recommended to check your antivirus settings and make sure that Google Drive isn’t blocked.

If Google Drive isn’t blocked by your antivirus, you can try disabling certain antivirus features and check if that helps. In some cases, you might even have to disable your antivirus entirely. In worst case scenario, you’ll need to remove your antivirus and check if that solves the problem.

If removing the antivirus solves the issue, you should consider switching to a different antivirus solution. There are many great antivirus tools available, but if you want the best protection, you should consider using Bitdefender.

Solution 10 – Reinstall Google Drive client

If you’re having issues with You are not signed in message, you might want to consider reinstalling Google Drive client. Your installation might be corrupted, or Google Drive might be misconfigured thus causing this issue to occur. To fix the problem, it’s advised to uninstall Google Drive and install it again.

There are several ways to remove Google Drive, but the best one is to use uninstaller software. Uninstaller software is a special application that allows you to completely remove any application from your PC. By using uninstaller software you’ll remove all files and registry entries related to the application you want to remove. This will ensure that there aren’t any leftover files that can interfere with your system.

There are many great uninstaller applications, but the best is Revo Uninstaller. Once you remove Google Drive with this tool, install it once again and the issue should be permanently resolved.

So with those fixes, you should now be able to sign in with your Google Drive app. Check out this Windows Report post for further Google Drive app details.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January 2017 and has been since completely revamped and updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.